The present invention relates generally to a food preparation facilitator apparatus and, more particularly, such apparatus which facilitates advising a food preparer of applicable dietary restrictions.
When a diner in a restaurant speaks the local language, he is usually able to appropriately advise the waiter of his dietary restrictions, the waiter then reporting the dietary restrictions to the kitchen where the food will be prepared accordingly. These dietary restrictions may be religious in nature (e.g., "kosher only" or "vegetarian only"), medical (e.g., "no cholesterol," "no eggs," "no hot peppers," "no cheese," or "no shellfish"), or simply matters of taste preference (e.g., "meat well-done" or "meat rare"). However, as one travels internationally (or simply goes into local "foreign food" restaurants where the waiters are not conversant with the local language), it becomes difficult to communicate the applicable dietary restrictions to the waiter, thereby diminishing any chance of compliance with such dietary restrictions by the kitchen. There are many different languages, some of which do not even use the English alphabet, and few people are able to express even one or two dietary restrictions in all of the languages which may be required in their travels.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an internationally useful kit for advising a waiter (locally or internationally) of dietary restrictions (whether arising out of religion, health or preference).
Another object is to provide such a kit which enables the user to advise the waiter of dietary restrictions by means of a card containing an internationally recognizable graphic representation of the dietary restriction, as well as a translation of the dietary restriction into a plurality of languages.
A further object is to provide such a kit which includes an organizer for releasably receiving and maintaining the plurality of cards representing respective dietary restrictions in such a manner as to enable different sets of the plurality of cards to be used at different times to advise a waiter of the then applicable dietary restrictions.